This essay discusses the application of the concepts ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Ethnocentrism is defined as “the tendency to apply one’s own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people raised in other cultures” (Kottack 44). An opposite concept is cultural relativism which means that a “particular culture should not be judged by the standards of another” (Kottack 44). I have a particular experience involving food practices which I am evaluating using these two concepts.
Description of the experience
A few years back, I accompanied a friend in a visit to the mountains of the Southeast Asia. We were asked to stay for lunch and we gladly obliged. I saw one of our companions go the kitchen and came out about 30 minutes later to tell us lunch was ready. I wasn’t expecting being served anything unusual. I thought to myself earlier that maybe our companion just opened some canned goods and served these out in plates. As we all sat down around the table, I was looking forward to a hearty lunch. The main dish smelled so good and I was quite sure we had some savory soup for lunch. I’ve noticed that in this country lunch was almost always soup with meat or fish and vegetables for lunch. When I looked down at the bowl of soup before me, I was shocked. The little black things swimming on the soup in my bowl were not slices of meat or fish. They were not vegetables. They were actually tadpoles.
I didn’t want to embarrass the hosts. They seemed worried that we might not like the food. They were apologetic when the food was brought in and they told us they hoped we would like the dish because this was a specialty served often when there are visitors. My other companions, mostly locals enjoyed the contents of the bowls. I tasted the food. Surprisingly, the soup was good with just the right blend of herbs. The tadpoles tasted strange. According to my companion who prepared it, these were sautéed in garlic, onion, and tomatoes. There was a little bit of bitter aftertaste, probably because the whole thing was eaten without removing any of the internal organs.
Interpretation of the experience
Looking back at that experience, I realized that my own cultural background has a lot to do with my perception of what food should be eaten and what to avoid. I grew up in a society where food comes from the supermarket or restaurants. The items to be cooked were all neatly sliced, packaged, and included a date of expiration. Knowing the contents of every food item was important to me. I believed that taking in unhealthy foods, those with too much calories or fat, would have a negative effect on our bodies. After all “we are what we eat.”
The queasiness I felt when I sipped the tadpole soup was due to my ethnocentric perspective. For me, tadpole was not for consumption by people therefore it should not be served. My own personal beliefs became my standard to look at others’ cultural practices. I had this list of what should be considered food items and if the dishes prepared are outside this list, then these were neither worthy nor safe for human consumption. Cooking and eating tadpoles soup was not a norm in my society, therefore my initial reaction was disbelief that there were people who actually considered this as food. I thought back then that I should make them realize the health implications of their action. Tadpoles eat algae and other smaller plant forms which may include bacteria and other harmful elements. These were not also cultured in safe environments. These were surely gathered in the wild, in a dirty pond or open river where mosquitoes and other harmful insects thrive. Even if the tadpoles were cooked, there was no assurance that it had been sanitized of all harmful bacteria.
I felt a bit awkward when my companions enjoyed the dish. They did so because it was not new to them. Even if they did not have that often, they were aware that tadpoles soup was served in certain groups. When I decided to try that soup, I had began to recognize that cultural traditions should be respected. Other societies practice their own beliefs and these should be respected. I had my own list of foods and this society also had its own preferences for food. This recognition was the first step towards cultural relativism.
Reviewing this experience has made me realize that my own cultural beliefs dictate my reaction to the cultural practices of other societies. I responded to situations depending on the standards that my own group had imposed. In this experience, eating tadpoles was not the norm in my society thus I felt uneasy about it. If I did not eat because I did not consider it food, then I was applying the concept of ethnocentricism wherein I judge others’ traditions. When I took a sip of that soup, I opened my mind to the existence of other cultural practices. Thus, it is always best to learn more about the traditions of other societies to be able to understand them more. I may not have consumed the entire bowl of tadpole soup, but in tasting the delicacy I was able to convey the impression I did not look down on such practice.
Works Cited
Kottack, Conrad Phillip. Anthropology: The Exploration of Human Diversity, 5th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991. Print.
